It is known to provide a motor vehicle having stop/start functionality in which an engine of the vehicle is switched off to save fuel when conditions permit such as when the vehicle is held stationary with a driver-operated brake pedal depressed. When the driver releases the brake pedal the engine is restarted and a driveline of the vehicle is driven by the engine via a transmission.
The problem exists that if the vehicle is held stationary whilst facing uphill on a slope and the engine fails to restart when the brake pedal is released, the vehicle may roll backwards down the slope. It is an aim of embodiments of the invention to at least partly mitigate this disadvantage of known stop/start vehicles.